Leta Blake's Blog, page 9

Price Drop! Episode 1 in the Will & Patrick Wake Up Married serial is now .99 for a limited time! #gay #romance

See what all the buzz is about!

“Blake and Griffiths have taken a silly old chestnut of a premise and managed to turn it into a surprisingly powerful mix of naughtiness and emotional oomph. I’ve already pre-ordered the final book, the very title of which promises us the happy ending we’ve all been looking for.” – Prism Book Alliance

And then complete your reading experience via bundles or one at a time!

Buy Episodes 1-3 for only $4.99!

 

Why aren’t Wake Up Married & Fight Their Feelings in KU with the other books in the Wake Up Married serial?

The Wake Up Married serial is FINALLY complete! All of the episodes are available on Amazon currently and several bundle options will be released in the next few weeks.

Originally, due to the wait between episodes, etc, my co-writer and I chose to make them available in Kindle Unlimited to make it easier and more cost effective for people to follow along. If I had my druthers, I would leave the entire serial in KU for another month, but due to Amazon’s requirement that each KU agreement last for 90 days, I’ve had to choose between pulling out the books as they end their most recent 90 day cycle, or commit to another three months. I chose to pull the books as they end their current cycles because:

There are some readers who have been waiting patiently for the books to come to other platforms, like All Romance Ebooks or Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
It will be easier for us to apply Kindle Unlimited effectively in the future if we can free all of the books entirely, and then resubmit them later this year so they will all have the same end date at the same time.

Which means that currently, every book in the serial except for Wake Up Married and Fight Their Feelings are in Kindle Unlimited for at least a few more weeks. The end date for the remaining books are:

Meet the Family: 5/8

Do the Holidays: 5/22

Fight Their Feelings: out of Kindle Unlimited now, but not on other vendors yet; I’ll wait until the others are released so it will be available in order

Meet the Mob: 6/1

Happy Ending: 6/13

My plan is to have the books out to other vendors as soon as possible. I’m also discussing with Amazon currently whether or not pre-orders for the books on other vendor sites violates the Kindle Unlimited agreement, so long as the books aren’t actually released until the KU term is up.

As of today, Wake Up Married is available on All Romance Ebooks (ARe)! And will soon be available at B&N, Kobo, iTunes, Scribd and more. (This reminds me that I need to add it to Smashwords today, too. So much to do!) I’ll put out another message when the book is available on those platforms.

Today, I wanted to take the time to explain why WUM and FTF are not available on Kindle Unlimited with the other books. This could be frustrating for some readers, I understand, but I want to emphasize that it is not meant to be. It’s frustrating to me, too! I wish Amazon offered either a month long option for Kindle Unlimited or that they didn’t require exclusivity at all to participate in that program. Regardless, things worked out the way they have, and so this is the result. We’ll get all the books out of KU and out to other vendors as soon as possible.

In the meantime, thank you so much for your ongoing support and love for this series! Our readers are the best!

Flipping Gender Changes Meaning — Examples

Remembering the days when I used to write actual blog posts.

Leta Blake

Photo by Michel Dierickx

A question I get a lot is “Why m/m? Why do you write so many books with gay main characters?” I’ve got a lot of reasons behind that, some of them incredibly deep and involved, based in feminism and gay rights and freeing the mind. But let’s leave all that behind for now, and focus on how things change meaning when you change the sex/gender of any particular person within a certain expected dynamic.

I feel like the easiest way to illustrate this is with music, so let’s start there.

Everyone knows Adele’s song “Someone Like You”. What happens to the meaning and to your understanding of the song when a man sings it without changing any lyrics.

Jay Brannan also did a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games”. When he performed it live, he said, “My favorite thing about this song is knowing that…

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FREE! Will & Patrick Wake Up Married (Episode 1 in the Wake Up Married serial) – April 18 – 22 only! #gay #romance

“I truly adore this series more than words can express. The writing is stellar and the storyline just keeps getting better and better.” – Bayou Book Junkie Reviews

“Ms. Blake and Ms. Griffiths have crafted an endearing tale full of promise, humor, tension, drama, sadness, and forgiveness. An incredible read!” – Alpha Book Club

“If you haven’t read these stories yet what are you waiting for?” Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews

FREE April 18 – 22 on Amazon! 

Now Available the FINAL episode of the Wake Up Married Serial! Will & Patrick’s Happy Ending!

Follow Will & Patrick in this final installment of the romantic-comedy serial, Wake Up Married, by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!

Sure, Will and Patrick are in love now, but they weren’t when they got married in Vegas. For Patrick, that’s no problem, but Will can’t shake his doubts that a relationship started through coercion can ever become the real deal.

Since the Molinaro crime family has reversed their position on divorce, Will and Patrick have a chance to rectify their drunken mistake. But is divorce the solution? Find out in this final instalment of the much-beloved Wake up Married serial.

Episode 6 of 6 in the Wake Up Married serial.

Or start at the beginning and read all the way through to the end! 

Walk a Mile in Someone’s Shoes

“All you are doing is segregating a group of people, who honestly, would protect your child if they saw something wrong going on. I would beat a MAN that would be going after a child in the women’s room and I know my trans brothers would do the same in the men’s room. I have nieces and nephews that I would die for and I would protect your child too. Putting me in a men’s restroom does not protect you BUT it does hurt us. Please get your head out of the clouds in thinking that these disgraceful laws are going to protect your child. That is a weak excuse to allow bigotry to keep on going. If you want to keep you children away from child molesters and perverts then you might as well put them in a bubble at home because these laws are not going to do it. ”

A fantastic and very real post. Thank you to Xena and to Margaret for sharing it.

Margaret Ellis

This is a photograph I had the pleasure of taking of the very beautiful Xena Wilson, a trans woman. I know that many people have never known (or never known that they actually know) a transgender person. I like to share things like this so that people can hopefully understand this situation and that good people can have an more educated viewpoint. My post today is actually something I just saw on Xena’s FaceBook post. So, I am sharing. I think it makes a whole lot of sense. Thanks, Xena.

“Ok so I just got a phone call from New Talk Radio at 98.7 in Knoxville to do a radio interview this Friday at 10.Last night I did an interview for a group of college students the subject “The Bathroom Ordeal”. I have kept pretty quiet about it because I don’t like to put my issues on this platform. I…

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“So good I didn’t want it to end. Wonderful everything! Nicky and Jazz forever!” | Review of Vespertine

“This was so good I didn’t want it to end. Wonderful everything! Nicky and Jazz forever!”

Source: Goodreads | Rennie’s review of Vespertine

 

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call? 

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

“Wow, I do love this author’s amazing writing style and story lines!” Review: The River Leith by Leta Blake

“Wow, I do love this author’s amazing writing style and story lines! This was a very enjoyable read, it may be heartbreaking at times but there is plenty of humour between the characters and some great sub characters that make this a excellent read. I was wishing throughout for Leith to get his memory back and everything to fall into place but also knew the brain is a complex organ that sometimes just can not heal itself. I can’t give the story away so this is a must read!! I would really like a second book,as I would love to know what the next year or Two brings for these wonderful characters! Highly recommended!!”

via Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The River Leith.

AMAZON|KOBO|B&N|iTunes|ARe

AMAZON|KOBO|B&N|iTunes|ARe

Memory is everything. 

After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.

For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.

Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

Will & Patrick MEET THE MOB–Review & Giveaway!

Loved V’s thoughts on the latest installment of the Wake Up Married serial!

Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn: emotional, gripping, beautiful

So excited for my co-writer Indra Vaughn’s latest release, Patchwork Paradise!

Oliver and Samuel’s relationship is fairy-tale perfect. They share a gorgeous house in Antwerp, go out with their friends every weekend, and count down the days to their dream wedding. But their happy ending is shattered one late night, and just like that, Ollie is left bereft and alone.

The months that follow are long and dark, but slowly Ollie emerges from his grief. He even braves the waters of online dating, though deep down he doesn’t believe he can find that connection again. He doesn’t think to look for love right in front of him: his bisexual friend Thomas, the gentle giant with a kind heart and sad eyes who’s wanted him all along.

When Thomas suddenly discovers he has a son who needs him, he’s ill prepared. Ollie opens up his house — Sam’s house — and lets them in. Ollie doesn’t know what scares him more: the responsibility of caring for a baby, or the way Thomas is steadily winning his heart. It will take all the courage he has to discover whether or not fairy tales can happen for real.

Word count: 73,300; page count: 262